All Over Albany

The last week's worth of items on AOA

Originally published Thursday at 2:20 pm. Updated Thursday at 4:05 pm.

The Capital Region got $83.1 million in the state's annual Regional Economic Development Council awards/game show on Thursday. That total made it a "top performer" -- and it was the second-highest total of any region.

The details on the specific projects getting funding in the Capital Region are below. There are also region-by-region totals for the awards.

The announcement included many of the same elements as previous years, including specious claims about the economic vitality of upstate and that weird "no, you're the best" dynamic between Maria Bartiromo and Andrew Cuomo. (Sadly, the state has still not installed a giant wheel on stage for representatives of each regional economic development council to spin and reveal their total.)

One bit of other news that came out of the presentation: Andrew Cuomo reiterated his support for allowing services such as Uber and Lyft to operate upstate.

His statement -- "I guess I support Uber upstate." -- followed a deadpan joke by Empire State Development head Howard Zemsky about requesting an Uber to take him to The Egg from the ESP office in Albany -- the car showed up 2 hours and 45 minutes later and took him to Price Chopper.

The event is part of the university's speaker series that has brought Bill Clinton, Colin Powell, Russell Simmons, and Bill Nye to campus in recent years. Some of these events have ended up being open to the public depending on the availability of space.

We heard from UAlbany today that in addition to being open to the immediate UAlbany community, the university is hoping to also open the event further to at least include alumni. SEFCU Arena seats about 4,000 people for an event like this.

So, if you're an alum and/or a member of the general public and think you'd like to go -- keep an eye out for details about available space in upcoming months. (We'll share them here, too, when they become available.) It's not every day you have a chance to see a sitting Supreme Court justice speak.

Early-bird tickets for the next summer's Solid Sound Festival at MASS MoCA go on sale this Friday, December 9 at 10 am. Three-day passes will be $134 while supplies last. And kids passes will be $50 (free for age 6 and under).

Advance three-day passes for the last festival, in 2015, were $149, so this could save you a few bucks if you know you're going (especially if you're buying for more than one person).

Next summer's festival is June 23-25. And it is, of course, the festival that prominently features Wilco and friends. Blurbage from earlier this fall:

Spanning three days and four stages, Solid Sound includes music by Wilco and its members' side projects, as well as many other (soon-to-be-announced) musical performers. It also features a full comedy lineup programmed by festival alum John Hodgman, family fun for all ages, local food, craft beer, camping, naturalist activities and more.

If you're interested in updates, the festival has an email list that sends out updates about tickets, acts, and associated whatnot.

Flash flooding in the city of Albany in 2014 when a storm dropped almost three inches of rain in less than an hour. / photo via Laura (thank you)

The Northeast US is looking at average temperature rises of a few degrees over the next century because of climate change, according to the some of the best estimates. And while an increase of, say, 4 degrees might not sound like much, it's setting up a future in which the extremes are likely to be more extreme and more common: hotter heat waves, bigger rainfall events, more common floods.

Radley Horton, a climate scientist at Columbia University's Center for Climate Systems Research, was at UAlbany this week for a program about extreme events prompted by climate change and their effects on human health.

We got a chance to talk with him for a few minutes about how climate change is already affecting this part of the country, what could be ahead, and how we might adapt.

Regional Economic Development Council awards
The winners of the annual Regional Economic Development Council grants are expected to be announced today. $750 million will be divided for projects around the state. Among other things, the Capital Region is asking for include an $4.24 million to help with the proposed $29.7 million expansion of the Palace Theatre and $4 million Albany's Health Sciences Campus in East Greenbush. [TU]

Given that the United States republic is more than two centuries old, it's remarkable that we still struggle with the mechanics of one of the fundamental aspects of democratic government: voting.

New York State is no exception, as a new report from the office of state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman notes the presidential primaries this year highlighted multiple problems with how the state's voting system is set up and administered. Among the most amazing examples: A person already registered to vote had to have declared or changed her party affiliation 193 days ahead of the primary in order to be eligible to vote.

The report details many of these problems and also offers a slate of potential upgrades of the state's voting and voting registration processes. One that we suspect would be popular: early voting. A clip from the report:

Permitting early voting is an easy solution to the problems of long lines and overwhelmed poll sites. Under New York State Election Law, the only way by which voters can cast a ballot early is by submitting an absentee ballot. However, access to absentee ballots is limited to a specific set of circumstances ... As a result, New York is one of only 13 states that fails to provide all voters the opportunity to cast a ballot in person prior to an election day. Permitting early voting in New York would make voting more accessible while simultaneously alleviating some of the pressure on poll sites and workers caused by heavy Election Day traffic.

Many of the other proposed reforms also seem very reasonable, such such as...

Visit the Arts Center on the third Tuesday of every month to meet new people and try making art in a different medium. Every event starts with an hour-long workshop designed for everyone to enjoy - from beginners to life - long artists - and ends with a specialty prepared cocktail or seasonal beverage that has been paired with the art form we'll be experimenting with. Please bring your ID - we'll also be serving beer, wine and soft drinks!

Many of the dates so far have sold out, so if you're interested in going, it's a good idea to claim your spot earlier rather than later. Tickets are $35 and include materials and snacks. Drinks are extra.

The new Phoenicians Mediterranean Palace recently opened on Fuller Road in Colonie. It's the successor to the Phoenicians Restaurant on Central Ave -- and it's big. The space itself is huge, and owner Robert Rahal has big plans for it.

Here's a quick look around, along with a few bits about what's in the works...

Caffe Lena is set to open its renovated space December 30 with a show by The Suitcase Junket. The show is already sold out.

The historic performance venue has been floating shows among spots around Saratoga Springs over the last few months during the renovation work on its Phila Street building. The modernized space includes a new atrium and lobby, increased seating (100 seats, up from 80), a new sound system, new bathrooms, and update space for administration and visiting performers.

While Albany Center Gallery (ACG) celebrates its 40th year, the Annual Members' Show focuses on the importance of local and regional artists that live and create work within 100 miles of Albany. ACG highlights and recognizes a wide range of talented members. Each of these exhibits bring together a dynamic cross--section of artists, in material and degree of establishment. Members range from student and emerging artists to established and international artists, from painters and photographers to sculptors and mixed media artists and beyond. ACG sees this show as an opportunity for exposure, promotion, and appreciation of all who have invested their time and energy in making our gallery what it is today.

There are details at that link about how to submit. And if you're not a member, it's $50 to join / $90 for two people.

The grand opening reception will be January 6 from 5-9 pm. The member show will be on display through February 17.

Anna is a fifteen-year-old girl slouching toward adulthood, and she's had it with her life at home. So Anna "borrows" her stepmom's credit card and runs away to Los Angeles, where her half-sister takes her in. But LA isn't quite the glamorous escape Anna had imagined.

As Anna spends her days on TV and movie sets, she engrosses herself in a project researching the murderous Manson girls--and although the violence in her own life isn't the kind that leaves physical scars, she begins to notice the parallels between herself and the lost girls of LA, and of America, past and present.

Phil Pascuzzo has designed a bunch of book covers -- you've almost certainly seen at least a few of them, even if you didn't recognize them as a PepCo work at the time (his website includes a gallery). He sometimes posts new ones on his Instagram feed.

He's also done a ton of local design work -- band art, event posters, identity for orgs... including a bunch of the special AOA banners, such as the current holiday banner above.

The New York Times has a detailed look at racial bias and disparities in New York State prisons with regard to prisoner discipline and punishment. "Whether loud and vulgar or insinuated and masked, racial bias in the state prison system is a fact of life. It is also measurable." It's also a story of geography -- particularly the upstate/downstate divide -- economics, mental illness, and funding. [NYT]

Heidi Knoblauch, an Emma Willard grad, recently returned to Troy after years in academia to open Plumb Oyster Bar. She's another young person investing in Troy, and she aims to create something a little bit different for this area -- while building a gathering space to serve both oyster lovers and the seafood-phobic alike.

We chatted about oysters, the motivations to leave academia, and why Troy is the right spot for Plumb.

Ferry was the frontman for the influential 70s art rock band Roxy Music. And he's had a winding solo career since the band's breakup in the early 80s. More recently a jazz take on one of his songs was included in Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby and Ferry popped up at Coachella and Glastonberry. And in late 2014 he released a new album.

Also, the "personal life" section of his Wikipedia page is worth a read. All that's missing is an episode in which he records "Christmas Is All Around."

Marsalis is, of course, a saxophonist, band leader, member of a royal family of jazz. And Elling is a Grammy-winning jazz vocalist. Show blurbage:

Energized by the artistic promise of this collaboration, the band members have all contributed new arrangements to perform with this special line-up and will be looking beyond the Great American Songbook. Although following the format of a standard jazz quartet with vocals, the collaboration between jazz's most intense band and one of jazz's foremost singer should prove to be anything but standard.

Random Friday afternoon thing: While walking Otto at the Harriman State Office Campus, we've noticed that there's a tiny, single air conditioner that hangs from a window of a giant Department of Taxation and Finance office building. It's row after row of midcentury office building windows -- and then this one window-unit air conditioner.

And it's made us think: There's gotta be a story behind that air conditioner. (And if there isn't... someone should make one up...)

The rink will now be open seven days a week, 11 am-8 pm (closed 3-4 pm for maintenance). It's free to skate. And skate rentals are $4 / $3 for kids / free on Fridays. A photo ID is required for skate rental. And, of course, the rink is open weather permitting.

There are also a series of clinics and special events related to the rink through the winter, such as learn-to-skate clinics and try-hockey clinics. Registration is required for the clinics and they often fill up fast. (The learn-to-skate clinic this Saturday is already full.)

The rink does tend to get busy on the weekends. Our favorite time to go is in the evenings during the week. (If you're driving, you can usually snag a spot along State Street.) Stopping by to skate for an hour after work + dinner someplace downtown = a better than usual Wednesday.

And it's good to see people out in the space during the winter. It makes it seem less cold.

Swinburne Skating Rink
The city of Albany's Swinburne Skating Rink is set to open Monday, December 5 (weather permitting). Here are the hours and admission/skate rental info...

The first announcement for a 2017 SPAC pop show is out: Dead & Company is set to return to SPAC June 20. Tickets go on sale December 9 -- they're $40 for the lawn, $75.50 and up for the pavilion. (There's also a limited number of lawn four-packs for $99.)

Dead & Company features Grateful Dead members Bill Kreutzmann, Mickey Hart, and Bob Weir -- plus John Mayer, with bassist Oteil Burbridge and keyboardist Jeff Chimenti. It's the same lineup that's been with the group when it's made stops here in 2015 (TU Center) and 2016 (SPAC).

An hour in any direction from Albany is bound to bring you somewhere interesting, but heading south down the Thruway to New Paltz has to be my favorite daytrip of all.

I love the funky, alternative vibe and there are so many options no matter what you are looking to do. And the location is almost equidistant between the Capital Region and NYC, so it can be a perfect middle ground meeting spot for friends who live in different cities.

After your first time visiting, you'll surely be planning your second...

The Scoop

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Recent Comments

I grew up in the Utica area and moved out here in 1998. It really is funny how different the cultures are less than 100 miles away.
It's more laid back in the Utica/Syracuse area, and the culture is much more "country" whereas Albany and a lot of the are around it is much more fast paced and has more of a NYC influence. Both are nice places to live, but definitely different vibes.